2017 Council of the Americas Symposium and BRAVO Business Awards

Americas Society / Council of the Americas

Events

Please join us on Friday, November 3, for the 2017 Council of the Americas Symposium and 23rd BRAVO Business Awards. The Symposium gathers more than 400 CEOs, senior government officials, and high-level decision makers from business, government, multilateral institutions, and NGOs for our annual conference focused on the key issues transforming the Americas.

Following the Symposium, leaders from the private and public sectors will be honored at the 23rd BRAVO Business Awards. For more than two decades the BRAVO Business Awards have recognized excellence and leadership in the Americas, and in 2017 we will shine light on the innovative leaders who are impacting business and policy in the region.

The president of the International Development Bank gave a keynote address and announced the launch of a new Latin America investment initiative. ...

Speakers

Luis Alberto Moreno, President, IDB

Andrés Gluski, President and CEO, The AES Corporation; Chairman, AS/COA

Latin America can't miss the digital revolution the same way it missed industrial revolution in the past, said International Development Bank (IDB) President Luis Alberto Moreno. His keynote at the 2017 Council of the Americas Symposium focused on the ways public-private partnerships can help reduce the region's digital and development gap. "Governments know they will not be able to compete and generate the jobs of the future if they don't improve infrastructure and productivity. But governments also know they cannot close this gap on their own. They know they need resources, talent, and the ingenuity that is the basis of the private sector," he said.

Moreno also presented the IDB's new initiative for the private sector, BID Invest, which helps companies to fully participate in sustainable development while expanding their business in Latin America. He talked about how the bank gave multilateral assistance in Chile to allow the private sector to build its first large-scale solar farm in the country. "We have the local knowledge and the experience to make these sort of bets," he said, inviting business leaders to work with the BID, as the development bank is known in Spanish, when pursuing to push into underserved markets.

Business leaders need to be aware of Latin America's core inequality problems and should address inclusiveness issues, as much as productivity ones, to boost growth in the region. That is how OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría framed the conversation about sustainable growth in Latin America at the 2017 COA Symposium. Gurría pointed out that Latin America has only 60 percent of broadband internet coverage, compared to 90 percent among OECD member countries, which widens the inequality gap in the region. Costa Rica's Minister of Foreign Trade Alexander Mora talked about the country's goal to join the OECD and transform itself into a research and development center, growing beyond the tourism industry.

AS/COA's Susan Segal opened the event before the panel saying the organization's CEO Forums have been discussing how business leaders and other sectors are adapting to the digital age and the importance of guiding business toward sustainable growth.

Technology is about changing the culture of a company, said Microsoft's César Cernuda on a panel about how the private sector is adapting to the digital age at the 2017 Council of the Americas Symposium. The question is not about the "what" or the "why", but the "how" and "when," he added. Cernuda talked with the panelists about their leadership experience in transforming business models in Latin America. Fernando González from CEMEX said his company has adapted to the new digital environment by changing the way it makes business deals with the Latin American market. Despegar.com's Damián Scokin said his first challenge as a CEO is to make the entire company feel it needs to evolve. Jorge Becerra explained how the situation is changing in Latin America and said that innovation often comes from emerging markets and not necessarily countries like the United States. Becerra also noted that large corporations are not as successful in incorporating disruptive technologies and are starting to understand they might not be able to do this on their own.

CNN Dinero's Xavier Serbiá kicked off this 2017 BRAVO Symposium and Business Awards panel by asking about the current challenges for investment in Latin America. Fernando Iraola said the political instability in the region is his biggest concern. Katia Bouazza pointed out the future of the region also depends on longer-term issues, such as infrastructure and social development. Protectionism has also changed the context for the region from here forward. Aeromexico's Andrés Conesa talked about the importance of the U.S.-Mexico border, calling it"the most dynamic worldwide in terms of travel" and talked of the risks for the American economy should the North American Free Trade Agreement end. James P. Scriven reflected on the wave of populism rising in the world and its importance for companies and governments to address that before moving forward with their growth strategies. Scriven talked about the resistence against globalization in developed economies, where people feel they have not have lived the benefits of globalization.

Cernuda said the region, with a population of 644 million, has the ability to generate a lot of information when it comes to digital currency....

The president of Microsoft Latin America, César Cernuda, spoke about Latin America's digital economy on the sidelines of the 2017 Council of the Americas Symposium and BRAVO Business Awards. Cernuda said the region, with a population of 644 million, has the ability to generate a lot of information when it comes to digital currency.

The CEO shared insights on the effects of technology on the travel industry....

The digital economy is a double-edged sword, says Aeromexico CEO Andrés Conesa, but "in the end it's a net benefit for everyone." In a sideline interview at the 2017 Council of the Americas Symposium and BRAVO Business Awards, Conesa shared insights on the effects of technology on the travel industry.

Latin America needs to catch up with China when it comes to technology, said IBM's Latin America general manager. ...

China aims to be the world's leader in artificial intelligence by 2030 and, as an increasingly important trade partner for Latin America, the region needs to be able to match the sophistication of its Asian counterpart. In an interview on the sidelines of the 2017 Council of the Americas Symposium and BRAVO Business Awards, IBM Latin America General Manager Ana Paul Assis says, over time, the region will increasingly adopt artificial intelligence, blockchain, and other disruptive technology.

"At the same time new business models are invented, some others are destroyed," said the CEMEX CEO....

"Digital technology is what is enabling new business models to be invented," said CEMEX CEO Fernando González about Latin America's digital economy. Speaking on the sidelines of the 2017 Council of the Americas Symposium and BRAVO Business Awards, he added that: "At the same time new business models are invented, some others are destroyed."

Ultrapar's CEO spoke about how Latin America needs to prepare for the major impact caused by the digital economy....

The digital economy will have a forceful impact and we'll have to know how to react to it, said Ultrapar CEO Thilo Mannhardt in this interview on the sidelines of the 2017 Council of the Americas Symposium and BRAVO Business Awards.

Please join us on Friday, November 3, for the 2017 Council of the Americas Symposium and 23rd BRAVO Business Awards. The Symposium gathers more than 400 CEOs, senior government officials, and high-level decision makers from business, government, multilateral institutions, and NGOs for our annual conference focused on the key issues transforming the Americas.

Following the Symposium, leaders from the private and public sectors will be honored at the 23rd BRAVO Business Awards. For more than two decades the BRAVO Business Awards have recognized excellence and leadership in the Americas, and in 2017 we will shine light on the innovative leaders who are impacting business and policy in the region.

The president of the International Development Bank gave a keynote address and announced the launch of a new Latin America investment initiative. ...

Speakers

Luis Alberto Moreno, President, IDB

Andrés Gluski, President and CEO, The AES Corporation; Chairman, AS/COA

Latin America can't miss the digital revolution the same way it missed industrial revolution in the past, said International Development Bank (IDB) President Luis Alberto Moreno. His keynote at the 2017 Council of the Americas Symposium focused on the ways public-private partnerships can help reduce the region's digital and development gap. "Governments know they will not be able to compete and generate the jobs of the future if they don't improve infrastructure and productivity. But governments also know they cannot close this gap on their own. They know they need resources, talent, and the ingenuity that is the basis of the private sector," he said.

Moreno also presented the IDB's new initiative for the private sector, BID Invest, which helps companies to fully participate in sustainable development while expanding their business in Latin America. He talked about how the bank gave multilateral assistance in Chile to allow the private sector to build its first large-scale solar farm in the country. "We have the local knowledge and the experience to make these sort of bets," he said, inviting business leaders to work with the BID, as the development bank is known in Spanish, when pursuing to push into underserved markets.

Business leaders need to be aware of Latin America's core inequality problems and should address inclusiveness issues, as much as productivity ones, to boost growth in the region. That is how OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría framed the conversation about sustainable growth in Latin America at the 2017 COA Symposium. Gurría pointed out that Latin America has only 60 percent of broadband internet coverage, compared to 90 percent among OECD member countries, which widens the inequality gap in the region. Costa Rica's Minister of Foreign Trade Alexander Mora talked about the country's goal to join the OECD and transform itself into a research and development center, growing beyond the tourism industry.

AS/COA's Susan Segal opened the event before the panel saying the organization's CEO Forums have been discussing how business leaders and other sectors are adapting to the digital age and the importance of guiding business toward sustainable growth.

Technology is about changing the culture of a company, said Microsoft's César Cernuda on a panel about how the private sector is adapting to the digital age at the 2017 Council of the Americas Symposium. The question is not about the "what" or the "why", but the "how" and "when," he added. Cernuda talked with the panelists about their leadership experience in transforming business models in Latin America. Fernando González from CEMEX said his company has adapted to the new digital environment by changing the way it makes business deals with the Latin American market. Despegar.com's Damián Scokin said his first challenge as a CEO is to make the entire company feel it needs to evolve. Jorge Becerra explained how the situation is changing in Latin America and said that innovation often comes from emerging markets and not necessarily countries like the United States. Becerra also noted that large corporations are not as successful in incorporating disruptive technologies and are starting to understand they might not be able to do this on their own.

CNN Dinero's Xavier Serbiá kicked off this 2017 BRAVO Symposium and Business Awards panel by asking about the current challenges for investment in Latin America. Fernando Iraola said the political instability in the region is his biggest concern. Katia Bouazza pointed out the future of the region also depends on longer-term issues, such as infrastructure and social development. Protectionism has also changed the context for the region from here forward. Aeromexico's Andrés Conesa talked about the importance of the U.S.-Mexico border, calling it"the most dynamic worldwide in terms of travel" and talked of the risks for the American economy should the North American Free Trade Agreement end. James P. Scriven reflected on the wave of populism rising in the world and its importance for companies and governments to address that before moving forward with their growth strategies. Scriven talked about the resistence against globalization in developed economies, where people feel they have not have lived the benefits of globalization.

Cernuda said the region, with a population of 644 million, has the ability to generate a lot of information when it comes to digital currency....

The president of Microsoft Latin America, César Cernuda, spoke about Latin America's digital economy on the sidelines of the 2017 Council of the Americas Symposium and BRAVO Business Awards. Cernuda said the region, with a population of 644 million, has the ability to generate a lot of information when it comes to digital currency.

The CEO shared insights on the effects of technology on the travel industry....

The digital economy is a double-edged sword, says Aeromexico CEO Andrés Conesa, but "in the end it's a net benefit for everyone." In a sideline interview at the 2017 Council of the Americas Symposium and BRAVO Business Awards, Conesa shared insights on the effects of technology on the travel industry.

Latin America needs to catch up with China when it comes to technology, said IBM's Latin America general manager. ...

China aims to be the world's leader in artificial intelligence by 2030 and, as an increasingly important trade partner for Latin America, the region needs to be able to match the sophistication of its Asian counterpart. In an interview on the sidelines of the 2017 Council of the Americas Symposium and BRAVO Business Awards, IBM Latin America General Manager Ana Paul Assis says, over time, the region will increasingly adopt artificial intelligence, blockchain, and other disruptive technology.

"At the same time new business models are invented, some others are destroyed," said the CEMEX CEO....

"Digital technology is what is enabling new business models to be invented," said CEMEX CEO Fernando González about Latin America's digital economy. Speaking on the sidelines of the 2017 Council of the Americas Symposium and BRAVO Business Awards, he added that: "At the same time new business models are invented, some others are destroyed."

Ultrapar's CEO spoke about how Latin America needs to prepare for the major impact caused by the digital economy....

The digital economy will have a forceful impact and we'll have to know how to react to it, said Ultrapar CEO Thilo Mannhardt in this interview on the sidelines of the 2017 Council of the Americas Symposium and BRAVO Business Awards.